日本(Japan)
日本语作Nippon或Nihon
亚洲大陆东岸外的岛国，位於太平洋西部。包括四个主岛︰北海道、本州、四国和九州。西南与中国隔着东海，西与俄罗斯、北韩、南韩隔着日本海。面积377,835平方公里。人口约127,100,000（2001）。首都︰东京。日本人是非常单一的亚洲民族。语言︰日语（官方语）。宗教︰神道教、佛教和基督教。货币︰日圆（￥）。日本位於地球地质最活跃的地带，所以地震、火山活动频繁。山脉占有全国3/4的土地，最高峰是富士山。日本是世界经济大国之一，以制造业和服务业为主，出口电子和电子设备、机动车辆、化学品，以及钢铁制品。由於政府干预银行业导致公共和私人部门之间的独特合作关系。它也是世界主要的航海业国家，海洋渔业占重要地位。政府形式为君主立宪政体，两院制。国家元首是天皇，政府首脑是首相。
根据传统说法，日本开国於西元前660年，第一位天皇为神武。西元4～5世纪大和朝廷建立了日本最早的统一国家。在这段时期，佛教经由朝鲜传入日本。此後数百年间，日本大量吸收中国文化，但到了9世纪开始断绝了与中国大陆的联系。藤原家族在11世纪擅权。1192年源赖朝建立了日本第一个幕府（参阅Kamakura period）。足利时代（1338～1573）是几个强大家族相互征战的时代。到16世纪末才在织田信长、丰臣秀吉和德川家康等人的领导下统一日本。在德川幕府（1603～1867）时期，实施孤立政策。後来在明治天皇（1868～1912）的领导下，颁布一部宪法（1889），并开始实行现代化和西化政策。日本的帝国主义使它发动了中日甲午战争（1894～1895）和日俄战争（1904～1905），并吞并了朝鲜（1910）和中国东北（即满洲，1931）。第二次世界大战时期，日本袭击驻防夏威夷和菲律宾的美军（1941年12月），并占领了欧洲人在东南亚的殖民地。1945年美国在广岛和长崎投下原子弹，日本不久就向盟军投降。战後美国占领日本，并促其在1947年颁布一部新的民主宪法。在重建日本残破的工厂时，他们在各个主要工业引进了新技术。继之而来的是经济快速复苏，日本到1990年代仍能维持良好的贸易平衡。
English version：
Japan
Island country, lying off the eastern coast of Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of four main islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It is separated from China by the China Sea and from South Korea, North Korea, and Russia by the Sea of Japan. Area: 145,883 sq mi (377,835 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 126,110,000. Capital: Tokyo. The Japanese overwhelmingly are a single Asian ethnic group. Language: Japanese (official). Religions: Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity. Currency: yen. Situated in one of the earth's most geologically active zones, Japan experiences volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Mountain ranges cover more than four-fifths of Japan's land surface; the country's highest mountain is Mount Fuji. The nation's economy, one of the world's biggest, is based largely on manufacturing and services; exports include electronic and electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, and iron and steel products. The government's involvement in banking results in unique cooperation between the public and private sectors. It is also one of the world's principal seagoing nations, with an important marine fishing industry. It is a constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses; its chief of state is the emperor, and the head of government is the prime minister. Japan's history began with the accession of the legendary first emperor, Jimmu, in 660 BC. The Yamato court established the first unified Japanese state in the 4th-5th century AD; during this period, Buddhism arrived in Japan by way of Korea. For centuries Japan borrowed heavily from Chinese culture, but it began to sever its links with the mainland by the 9th century. The Fujiwara family held sway through the 11th century. In 1192 Minamoto Yoritomo established Japan's first bakufu, or shogunate (see Kamakura shogunate). The Ashikaga shogunate (1338-1573) was marked by warfare among powerful families. Unification was achieved in the late 1500s under the leadership of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the Tokugawa shogunate, beginning in 1603, the government imposed a policy of isolation. Under the leadership of Emperor Meiji (1868-1912), it adopted a constitution (1889) and began a program of modernization and Westernization. Japanese imperialism led to war with China (1894-95) and Russia (1904-5) as well as to the annexation of Korea (1910) and Manchuria (1931). During World War II Japan attacked U.S. forces in Hawaii and the Philippines (December 1941) and occupied European colonial possessions in South Asia. In 1945 the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered to Allied powers. U.S. postwar occupation of Japan led to a new democratic constitution in 1947. In rebuilding Japan's ruined industrial plant, new technology was used in every major industry. A tremendous economic recovery followed, and it was able to maintain a favorable balance of trade into the 1990s.
